gluten-free dairy-free sausage sweet potato apple onion casserole

For a wedding present two of my favorite professors from college gave us a copy of the More-with-Less Cookbook, a Mennonite cookbook that is much beloved and much used for the past 23 years in our household. 

I even got my in-laws this book years ago after using it first for a few years myself and knowing that it was worth it.

I've slightly adapted this casserole recipe from the book.

You'll need:

• about 400 g sausage, bulk or links (if links, then chop into small pieces), then browned in a pan
• about 7 or 8 small Japanese sweet potatoes, washed, leaving peel on, slice, and steam
• 2 Japanese apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced thinly
• 3/4 cup warm water 
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice flour, or other gluten-free flour
• shakes of cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
• few shakes of sage

Do this:

In the pan that you browned the sausage in, remove the sausage, then layer in steamed sweet potatoes, apples, onions, and sausage. I can get two layers in mine.

Mix the warm water, sugar, flour, cinnamon, sage, salt, and pepper, then pour over. 

Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes at 170 C/350 F.

Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. 

Itadakimasu! 

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gluten-free dairy-free apple-rhubarb crumble cheesecake

 

The base cheesecake underneath all this luscious topping is from a Mamatouille recipe here, which is a vegan and dairy-free, gluten-free amazing cheesecake. 

After you've made your cheesecake and chilled it, here's the apple-rhubarb topping that you make and then chill before spreading over the cheesecake. 

For the apple-rhubarb topping, you'll need:

• 3 or 4 apples, peeled and chopped
• a few sticks of rhubarb, chopped
• sugar to taste
• cinnamon
• ginger powder

Do this: 

Simmer the apples and rhubarb with a little bit of water, then add sugar, cinnamon, and ginger powder to taste. Cook till thick, then chill in a jar in the fridge.

For the crumble topping, you'll need:

• rice flour
• almond flour
• chopped walnuts
• brown sugar
• cinnamon
• ginger powder
• dairy-free margarine

Do this:

Stir the rice flour, almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger powder together. With your hands, work in the margarine till it's a nice consistency, then stir in the chopped walnuts. 

Bake at 170 C/350 F till browned, about 10-12 minutes. Cool. 

For the whipped cream topping, you'll need:

• heavy soy cream
• powdered sugar
• vanilla

Do this: 

Beat till fluffy. 

Assemble it all:

1. Your baked cheesecake

2. Spread on the apple-rhubarb topping, leaving some space on the edges

3. Sprinkle with the crumble topping

4. Pipe the whipped cream around the edges

And then enjoy that sucker! It's extremely filling and magically delicious.

easy potato salad with garlic chives

 

I had leftover "baked" potatoes in their jackets from the microwave, cold in the fridge and uneaten, so I just riffed from there...

You'll need:

• cooked potatoes in their jackets (with peels on), cooled, chopped
• nira (garlic chives), chopped
• mayo
• regular yellow mustard
• Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• paprika
• dried or fresh parsley

Do this:

Mix it all together and have with a sausage smothered in sauerkraut. 

gluten-free dairy-free pasta e ceci (pasta with chickpeas)

I heavily adapted this recipe from The Mediterranean Dish, but of course there were items I can't get here in Japan and that I can't eat anyway. So here's my version of pasta e ceci (pasta with chickpeas).

Chickpeas, please! Love 'em.

You'll need:

• about 300 g gluten-free pasta
• 2 tablespoons bacon fat
• olive oil
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• tomato paste
• bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• cayenne pepper
• paprika
• oregano
• mixed Italian herbs
• dried parsley
• 2 cans chickpeas (do not drain)
• 2 carrots, finely diced or grated
• 1 stick celery, finely diced
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• as many garlic cloves as you like, minced
• 2 cups veggie broth

Do this:

Saute the veg in the olive oil and bacon fat.

Stir in the chickpeas with their liquid, the tomatoes, and the spices. 

Add in the veggie broth, and simmer. 

Cook the pasta separately, then add it all together and drizzle with some more olive oil if you like. 

Buon Appetito! 

gluten-free dairy-free blueberry cranberry oatmeal muffins with cinnamon streussel topping

These come by way of my More with Less cookbook, but I had to change it a lot for my dietary needs. They came out great though. 

Here's what I did.

You'll need:

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 tablespoon katakuriko potato starch (or cornstarch)
• 2 cups oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups milk (I use soy)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup dried blueberries
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• for the topping: 4 tablespoons brown sugar, 4 teaspoons rice flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons melted dairy-free margarine

Do this:

In a big bowl, mix the rice flour, almond flour, starch, xanthan gum, oats, salt, and baking powder. 

Add in the oil, dried fruit, eggs, and milk.

Spoon into muffin cups for baking.

In a small separate bowl, smush the topping ingredients together and then sprinkle on top of the muffins. 

Bake at 180 C/360 F for about 15-20 minutes. 

Eat for breakfast on a snowy morning with a hot hot hot cuppa. 

gluten-free dairy-free potato-crust Canadian bacon and mushroom pizza

I got rave reviews for this tonight! This is for 4 people.

You'll need:

• 10 Japanese potatoes, washed but grated with peels on
• 2 eggs
• about 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• mixed Italian herbs
• cayenne pepper
• paprika
• dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• neutral-flavored or olive oil
• mushrooms
• nira (garlic chives)
• baby tomatoes
• grated soy cheese (or other dairy-free cheese)
• Canadian bacon

Do this:

Grate your potatoes and then squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can in a tea towel.

Beat 2 eggs in a big bowl, add in the grated potatoes, rice flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian herbs, parsley. Mix with your hands and then divide into 4 parts.

In a small bowl with a spoon, stir tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, Italian herbs, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon oil, cayenne pepper. 

In a frying pan on the stove, saute chopped mushrooms, chopped baby tomatoes, chopped nira (garlic chives), and salt in a little bit of oil. Then divide that into 4 parts.

On a big electric frying pan (hot plate), spread some oil around and heat up to 200 degrees C. You'll probably have to cook just 2 of these pizzas at a time.

Spread 2 lots of potato mixture into big pizzas, brown on one side, flip, then top with pizza sauce, Canadian bacon, mushroom mixture, and cheese. Put the lid on so the cheese will melt. 

When the bottoms are browned and the cheese is melted, serve those out and cook the next 2. 

Enjoy the textures and flavors. My family and I really definitely super enjoyed these tonight. 

sweet spicy tangy persimmon chutney

 

This is the second time I've made persimmon chutney for Thanksgiving week but the first time I've blogged it. Really, it's just wonderful, and it helps when your friend gives you a bag of homegrown persimmons from her allotment! 

This comes from Allrecipes, but I've changed it just slightly. (For instance, do NOT add as much apple cider vinegar as the original recipe calls for. I found the amounts listed below to be fine.)

It's not hard work, but give yourself some time to chop everything and simmer it, then to let it cool before you refrigerate the jars-ful. 

You'll need:

• 4 persimmons, peeled and chopped
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion (about one small onion)
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup white or brown sugar (I used brown)
• 1 cup raisins (golden if you can get them, or regular if you can't)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot garam masala powder (instead of the chilis and cloves originally called for)

Do this:

Combine everything except the persimmons and simmer till thick. Keep stirring! Then add the persimmons and simmer till they're soft. 

Everything should be tangy, thick, sweet, and spicy. Refrigerate it after it's cooled. 

Serve with chicken, turkey, or ham, and I bet it would be good with cheese too (no dairy for me). 

gluten-free dairy-free chicken potato quiche

This was from a random video on Facebook, so I'm sorry that I can't share the origin story with you. Anyway, I'm sure you want to jump right to the recipe! This is my Mamatouille-d version.

You'll need:

• 2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• salt and pepper
• dairy-free shredded cheese
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• a couple Japanese piman (green peppers), chopped
• tomato paste to taste
• dried or fresh parsley
• paprika
• turmeric
• thyme
• powdered coriander
• 3 eggs
• dairy-free milk or cream
• peeled and chopped potatoes (4 Japanese small ones)

Do this:

Line a deep pie pan with baking paper. 

Make mashed potatoes, but not too soft or milky. 

Mash them into the bottom of the pan and cover with shredded cheese.

In a frying pan, cook the chicken in some oil with the onion, green peppers, tomato paste, salt and pepper, parsley, paprika, and turmeric.

Ladle that over the mashed potato and cheese mixture. More cheese.

Beat 3 eggs with milk or cream plus thyme and coriander, then pour over and add a bit more cheese. 

Bake at 180 C for 35 minutes. Let it cool a few minutes and then slice.

 

gluten-free dairy-free banana-yogurt pancakes

 

These are a Mamatouille original and a variation on a rice-flour pancake theme that we all really enjoy devouring. 

You'll need:

• 2 cups rice flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 cups soy milk (or milk of choice) - start with 1 cup and see if you need more because these pancakes also have yogurt
• 3 tablespoons katakuriko (Japanese potato starch) or cornstarch
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup soy yogurt
• lots of shakes of cinnamon
• raisins

Do this:

Mix it all up, fry up on your griddle, and enjoy with peanut butter or honey. 

gluten-free dairy-free black-bean chocolate brownies

 

A friend sent me this recipe from Poland, but she's American and I'm assuming these are too. I can't give you the source, but they're delicious and more-ish nonetheless.

As you can see, half of us like walnuts. :)

You'll need:

• 1/2 cup black beans, dried, soaked overnight, and cooked till soft, or 1 can of cooked black beans
• 1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chicory powder (or you can use instant coffee)
• 1/3 cup flour (I used half rice and half almond)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 50 g dark chocolate (dairy free)
• 50 g chopped walnuts

Do this: 

Make a puree of the beans in a food processor, then add in everything else except the chocolate bar and the walnuts. Stir those in at the end. 

Line a square baking pan (8 by 8 inches or 20 cm x 20 cm) with baking paper, pour in your batter, then bake at 170 C/325 F for 15-20 minutes. 

Let it cool completely before cutting and serving. 

CHOCO FIX! 

gluten-free dairy-free homemade tomato soup

 

Craving creamy and spicy tomato soup, I made up a Mamatouille special! 

You'll need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons dairy-free margarine
• 3 tablespoons rice flour
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 cups dairy-free milk (I used soy)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• paprika to taste
• dried parsley to taste
• Italian mixed herbs to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 sachets veggie bouillon
• 2 cans chopped or whole tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

Do this:

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add margarine then slowly whisk in flour. Then slowly whisk in the milk a bit at a time till smooth and let it simmer. 

Add your spices and sugar and bouillon. 

Throw in your tomatoes and tomato paste. 

Simmer a few minutes, then use an immersion blender to smooth it all out. 

Top with fried onion bits! 

Yuuuummmmm. Sweet. Spicy. Creamy. Great with a sausage roll. 

gluten-free goya chanpuru

 

This is not the Goya brand of seasoning in the US; it's the goya vegetable, also called bitter melon, that grows in Japan and is seasonal only in the summer. It's bitter and lovely and super healthy. 

Recipe comes mostly from Just One Cookbook. 

You'll need:

• 1 goya/bitter melon (I used a white one that my neighbor gave me from her garden--it was riper than the usual green ones that you buy in the store)
• 1 teaspoon salt (for the goya)
• 300g firm tofu
• 500g thinly-sliced pork
• 6 eggs
• neutral-flavored oil
• salt and pepper
• a few tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 or 2 small packets katsuobushi fish flakes (usually a Japanese package will have about 6 packets in each)
• 1/2 cup boiling water

Do this: 

First, make your fish stock: Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over 1 or 2 packets of katsuobushi fish flakes and let it set. When you're almost ready for the stock, strain out the fish flakes and keep the stock. 

Then, slice your goya lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and throw away, slice it up, then toss 1 teaspoon of salt on the goya in a salad spinner insert. Let that set at least 10 minutes then rinse and spin.

Wrap your tofu in paper towels and put a flat pan on top and then some kind of weight to squeeze the water out. 

Cut your pork up into bite-sized pieces.

In a bowl, crack your eggs and beat. 

Tear the drained tofu into bite-sized pieces. 

In a large frying pan, heat up some oil and brown your tofu on both sides. Don't turn it often. When it's brown all over, put on a plate. 

Then brown your goya with some salt and oil and then put that on the plate with the tofu.

Brown your pork with oil, salt, and pepper, then add the tofu and goya back in. Add in your strained fish stock and your 3 tablespoons or so of soy sauce.

Toss to combine, let the liquid evaporate a little bit, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Add in your beaten eggs and let that set, then scoop it out and serve over rice in a bowl with more fish flakes on top. Eat with a spoon and enjoy to the hilt. We all love this. 

(Make sure you give yourself enough time for this dish. Each separate ingredient that needs browning takes a chunk of time.)

updated gluten-free dairy-free chocolate tofu peanut-butter pie

I used to make this with a storebought graham-cracker crust (when I could find that at an import store) or a homemade cookie crust, but since finding out about these food allergies that I have, I hadn't made this delectable pie in a long time. 

But I wanted to welcome our boys home from overseas with one. With just a bit of rejigging, here's my latest gluten-free and dairy-free version.

You'll need (for the filling): 

• 450 g (about 1 lb.) block of silken tofu, drained
• 2/3 c. creamy peanut butter (I make my own with just salt, no sugar)
• 1 c. melted dairy-free chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

You'll need (for the crust):

• 2 cups almond flour or meal
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• a sprinkle/pinch of sea salt

Do this:

For an 8.5-inch/22 cm springform pan, oil and line the bottom with baking paper. Toast the almond flour in a dry pan on the stove for a few minutes, until it turns a bit darker and is fragrant. Put that into a food processor and whiz up with the other ingredients. (Don't whiz it too long or it will liquefy!) Press it into the bottom of the springform pan and bake at 170 C/350 F for about 8 minutes or so. Let it cool and rest while you get on with making the pie filling. 

For the filling, just blend those 4 ingredients and pour into your cooled pie crust. Refrigerate it till set and then enjoyyyyyyyy that sucker! 

gluten-free dairy-free tuna chickpea veggie pasta

 

I originally saw a recipe like this here, but it's one of those recipes where you use what you have and it turns out delicious anyway.

Here's how I did it.

You'll need:

• gluten-free pasta, cooked and drained
• grated carrots
• chopped onion
• minced garlic
• chopped zucchini (or whatever seasonal veggies are available; maybe cabbage in the winter)
• chopped red pepper
• salt and pepper
• oil
• lemon juice
• thyme, if you have it (haha)
• can or two of chickpeas, drained
• canned tuna, drained

Do this:

In a frying pan, saute the veg in oil, then add in the tuna and chickpeas. Mix with the spices and cooked pasta, and serve it up with love and laughter (I mean, you didn't even have to go to the grocery store). 

vegan nutella

 

This jar of deliciousness comes by way of a video recipe from Epic Mint Leaves.

Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, then dry them off.

Roast them at 220C for about 27-30 minutes.

Throw them in a blender with 6 pitted Medjool dates, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and 1 cup hot water.

Blend, eat a bit and jar the rest. Nestle it safely in le fridge.